


thirteen centimeters of affection

by hoeunki



Series: plum blossom and the orchid [6]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Boys In Love, Canon Compliant, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Drabble Sequence, Established Relationship, Height Differences, M/M, Mentioned NCT Ensemble, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-09-01 06:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16760074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoeunki/pseuds/hoeunki
Summary: being thirteen centimeters shorter than someone can make one feel incredibly small, but renjun learns to love the height difference between him and his boyfriend.





	thirteen centimeters of affection

**Author's Note:**

> a lot of people talk about the height difference between these two so I decided to finally write a short fluffy fic instead of studying for finals :) 
> 
> also, the title is based off what google says about their heights. the actual difference might be more, it might be less, but I have no clue. 
> 
> anyways, I hope you like it!

Growing up, Renjun always knew he wasn’t going to be a tall person. In elementary school, he was constantly put on the shorter end of the lines whenever the teacher told them to get in height order. In middle school, he had trouble reaching for the handles on public transport. At home, he would use a stool to reach the shelves in the kitchen and sometimes, his feet wouldn’t even reach the coffee table when he tried to prop his legs up.

By the time he entered SM, Renjun had learned to accept his short stature. Chenle and Jisung were cute and tiny until they both hit puberty and decided to shoot up like trees (especially Jisung, who never took him seriously during arguments anymore because he had a whole half a head of height on Renjun). Other shorter idols, like Kyungsoo and Luna, told Renjun that there were many perks to being tiny, and that wearing 2-inch insoles wasn’t worth the lame joke that would be made on variety shows. 

His perspective on his height only really changed when he and Lucas started officially dating. 

“Your height difference is  _ so cute _ !” Jaemin cooed once, when Renjun was fixing Lucas’ hair. Jeno and Hyuck giggled about it, but Renjun didn’t really get what was so funny. Of course he had a height difference with Lucas. The guy was a whole 183cm tall! Renjun had a height difference with Johnny and Jungwoo too, but the Dreamies never teased him about that. Heck, what about Chenle and Jisung?

It took a while before Renjun started to understand the whole concept of height differences with a tall significant other. It had quite a large effect in their relationship dynamic - bad for some parts, but overall a good thing. 

  
  


At first, Renjun hated it when Lucas would flirtingly tease him by leaning down to look him in the eye when they were talking. Back when Renjun was still in denial about liking Lucas, the older boy would lean down and get all up in his space, and Renjun would hit him and pretend to not be affected by his stupidly handsome smile. Renjun would also get frustrated when he'd be reaching for something in the cabinets and Lucas would get it for him instead. There was one particular incident that still made Renjun’s ears heat up every time he thought about it (Renjun made sure to get Kun to buy a foldable stool afterwards). 

_ He was cooking dinner for the dorm, and Jisung (who was supposed to be helping him) disappeared mysteriously, leaving him to cook alone. Renjun had been searching for an ingredient but he couldn’t find it, so he climbed onto one of the counters to search through the upper cabinets. His knees balanced precariously on the edge and in all honesty, Renjun should have seen the whole thing coming.  _

_ Lucas walked into the kitchen. He stood for a few moments by the doorframe, watching amusedly as Renjun muttered to himself in Mandarin.  _

_ “Need a bit of help there, shorty?” he asked, coming over to look into the boiling pot.  _

_ Renjun glanced down at him and huffed. “No thanks, I got it all under control.” _

_ Lucas’ lips quirked up. He decided to leave Renjun to do his thing. After a few moments, Renjun found the jar of whatever and raised it triumphantly. He waved it in Lucas’ face with a smug smile. _

_ “See, I told you I had it covered.” _

_ Lucas leaned against the fridge and smiled fondly. “You’re so cute.” _

_ The compliment caught Renjun off-guard, because his knee slipped off the counter and he started to fall. Renjun yelped, desperately attempting to grab onto something, but then an arm looped around his waist and suddenly he was sitting on the counter, looking down into distressed brown eyes. _

_ “Are you okay?” Lucas had his right hand on the jar that Renjun was holding onto.  _

_ Renjun blushed, embarrassed, and he hopped off the counter. “Y-Yeah. Thanks.”  _

_ He turned to his chopping board and began aggressively cutting the spring onions. Lucas chuckled and ruffled Renjun’s hair fondly before heading off to the living room. Seconds after, Jisung waddled into the kitchen. He stretched his bony limbs and yawned.  _

_ “Did I miss anything?” _

  
  


There were times when Lucas’ height proved to be a challenge for him. For example, Renjun would somehow end up poking his eyes with his umbrella, and it was difficult for them to share one. Lucas would attempt to remedy that by tucking Renjun under his massive arm and clutching him tightly, but his legs ended up getting soaked every time. 

Sharing a bed was a completely different story.

Lucas’ legs were much too long, so either he let his feet dangle off the bed, or he’d have to find a way to fold his legs without bothering Renjun. Usually Renjun would just slot a leg between Lucas’ thighs and throw the other one over his hip to give him space to curl up. They made it work somehow. 

Renjun’s favorite thing about Lucas was the fact that he gave the best cuddles. Jaemin and Donghyuck were pretty good too, but Renjun practically  _ melted _ whenever Lucas nuzzled against his neck. Lucas liked to hug Renjun from the back, squeezing him gently as he kissed the shell of Renjun’s ear. Sometimes he’d fall asleep to Lucas drawing meaningless words and shapes into the skin around his spine, shivering as Lucas traced every line, dip, and muscle on his body. 

Lucas’ arms were always warm and inviting, and Renjun fit easily into them, as if they were made for him and him only. There was nothing Renjun liked better after a long day of practice than crawling into his blankets and snuggling up to his big, teddy bear of a boyfriend. Lucas would then kiss him goodnight and they’d drift off to sleep together, Renjun feeling safe and loved. 

  
  


Huang Renjun was a whiny person. 

He complained about things like the weather, when the sun was too hot and there were no clouds in the sky. Often, during times like these, he’d take advantage of Lucas’ height and use him as shade. 

“Xuxi, come here.” It was one of their off days, and the two of them had gone on a date. They were standing in a line to buy hotdogs, and the sun was burning hot. 

Lucas happily obliged, immediately positioning himself to block the sun for Renjun. He snaked his arms around Renjun’s lithe frame in a back hug, and rested his chin on his shoulder. 

“Your arms are sweaty,” Renjun commented. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt and all of his ‘impressive muscles’ were on display for the world to see. Renjun didn’t miss the flirtatious looks that girls would send his way when they thought he wasn’t looking. 

Lucas laughed, a deep sound that rumbled in his chest. Renjun could feel it against his back. “But they look good, right?”

“Gym rat.”

“Love you too.”

The rest of the day passed by quickly. It was nice to go out and about with Lucas, to be able to enjoy doing regular couple things like going to the movies or eating hotdogs by the Han River. Of course, they had to be careful not to draw too much attention to themselves. Fans these days had a scarily keen eye for idols on the street. 

Another thing about Lucas was that he often went out of his way to do romantic gestures for Renjun. When it was nighttime and the two of them were heading home from their date, Lucas suddenly paused on the sidewalk.

“I can piggyback you the rest of the way,” he offered. 

Renjun blinked up at him questioningly. The longer he stared, the more Lucas got shy, shifting his weight from foot to foot. 

“I mean, I was just thinking that you must be tired from walking this whole time an-”

“Sure.”

Lucas bent down and Renjun clambered onto his back, looping his skinny arms around his boyfriend’s neck. He let Lucas grab the underside of his thighs and shifted him up so that he was more comfortable. Lucas carried Renjun along the roadside, humming a little tune under his breath. Renjun relaxed, pressing an ear to Lucas’ back to listen to the faint thump, thump, thumping of his heart.

  
  


It was no secret that Lucas absolutely  _ adored _ it when Renjun wore his clothes. 

“Keep it in your pants,” Donghyuck constantly teased, making either Chenle or Mark snort. Lucas would shove them aside with a roll of his eyes. 

Renjun liked Lucas’ hoodies. They draped down to his mid-thighs and were so comfortable to just lie down and laze around in. The sleeves were way too big for him, and he’d wander around the dorm clutching a mug of tea in his little sweater paws. 

Sometimes, Lucas would pull him onto his lap, and they’d sit on the living room floor together and watch a movie while Lucas ran his hands up and down Renjun’s sides and along his smooth legs. Every now and then he’d pinch the inside of Renjun’s thighs and Renjun would smack him. 

Ten thought it was cute, because he and Johnny would do the same thing up in the hyungs’ dorm. Kun and Jungwoo thought it was nice to see young love blossoming. The rest of the Dreamies thought the two of them were gross, especially Jisung, who’d make gagging sounds whenever he spotted Renjun wearing something that belonged to Lucas.

It wasn’t like Lucas’ clothes smelled particularly good, not like Doyoung or Taeyong who always smelled nice no matter what the occasion. If they didn’t smell like detergent, there was something woody and earthy about their fragrance that Renjun liked. A little musky. Subtle, but comforting.

When he was gone on solo schedules, Renjun would wear one of his shirts to sleep. There was something magical about them that helped him to sleep faster. 

If there was one thing that Renjun hadn’t told Lucas yet, it was that he secretly enjoyed it when Lucas would lift him up to kiss him. 

Usually, Renjun would have to pull Lucas down to give him a quick peck, or he’d have to stand on his toes to smooch his cheek. The first time it happened was when Renjun gave Lucas a bracelet for his birthday. 

_ Lucas slipped the bracelet on, grinning happily as he admired it. Then, without warning, he swept Renjun into a big hug and lifted him off the ground. Renjun squeaked, grabbing onto his shoulders for support. Lucas was practically glowing with happiness, and in that moment Renjun was overcome with an intense desire to kiss him. So he did.  _

From that day on, Lucas developed a habit of hoisting Renjun up to kiss him when he was in a good mood. It was endearing, the way his eyes would shine and his nose would crinkle up. Renjun was light as a feather, so Lucas never had any problems carrying him. 

It was one those rare days where it was just Lucas and Renjun in the dorms. Renjun was folding his laundry in his room when he heard his boyfriend calling for him. He set his shorts down and went into the living room, where Lucas was trying to unhook the curtains. 

“Kun-ge wanted me to wash these. Can you help me?”

Renjun walked over to the window. “You could just get a chair, you know.”

Lucas put his hands on Renjun’s waist and lifted him up, letting the younger boy gather the drapes together. “Yeah, but I just wanted an excuse to look at your butt.”

Renjun laughed and patted his arm as a signal to let him down. “Pervert. For that, I'm gonna face you this time.”

Lucas circled Renjun's middle and boosted him again. Renjun worked efficiently, allowing the curtains to fall to the floor as he detached it from the plastic hooks. When he was finished, he looked down to find Lucas smiling up at him like a fool. 

Renjun raised an eyebrow. “What’s gotten into you today?” He casually hooked his legs around Lucas’ torso.

His boyfriend smiled. “I don’t know.” 

Without the curtains covering the windows, sunlight streamed in, bathing the both of them in the mellow afternoon sun. Renjun cupped Lucas’ cheeks and ran a thumb over his plush bottom lip before bending down to kiss him. When he drew back, Lucas pressed a kiss to his nose and he giggled. 

And it was in that moment when Renjun finally understood what Jaemin had been saying all this time.

Their height difference  _ was _ pretty damn cute after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> yukren are the CUTEST okay bye 
> 
> support my agenda: [twitter](https://twitter.com/takadactyl)


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